Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

We all have had those moments in our memories of tremendously challenging times that took all our strength, focus, and resources to live through it. As believers, we remember falling on our knees daily, asking for God’s wisdom and strength to walk through it with His help. Later, at just the right time and place, a miraculous victory over the challenge happened—without much effort on our part.

Immediately we wondered—why did we worry and fret so much about it? God gave victory in His Way in His Perfect Timing and it seemed like we didn’t have much to add to His solution.  Our battles are with our trust and faith in God.  Challenges in this imperfect world of troubles God uses to build our faith and teach us to love, trust, and obey Him without dragging along the baggage of our self-imposed doubts and fears.

If the story of God through Esther has taught us anything, it is this; we learn that complete trust and obedience in God with a heart that desires His heart, is the pathway to victory over all enemies who speak against God. We also learn that we should remember with joy and celebration all the days God provided victory in our lives. Forget the misery and stop replaying the hurts for that is useless for growth and maturity of faith. Instead, remember the very day God intervened and brought victory with resolution and peace!  Then celebrate it each year!

Esther 9

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. ² The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. ³ And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. ⁴ Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

⁵ The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. ⁷ They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

¹¹ The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. ¹² The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”

¹³ “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.”

¹⁴ So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. ¹⁵ The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.

¹⁶ Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. ¹⁷ This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

¹⁸ The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

¹⁹ That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.

Purim Established

²⁰ Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, ²¹ to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar ²² as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. ²⁴ For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. ²⁵ But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles. ²⁶ (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. ²⁸ These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

²⁹ So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. ³⁰ And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance— ³¹ to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation. ³² Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Take it from Queen Esther and Mordecai; God is the One and Only to be trusted to follow!  God puts ordinary people in places that position them to do His will.  God knows we were born “for such a time” for our good and His glory.  We respond with obedience with surrendered hearts to His will and plan to save the world through us.  This is how God works!

The Jews established the Festival of Purim to remind their children year after year that God had saved Israel from destruction. But a new generation can easily come along and take for granted the blessings that previous generations struggled and sacrificed to attain.

We must pause and ask ourselves;

Can God’s victorious stories be diluted with the world’s view of success and our busyness that distracts us from celebrating what God as done and is doing? 

With each generation, is the story told less, leaving out important details of God that saved a people?  Do we only “give the gifts to each other and give to the poor”?

Does the story only become a tradition to perform over a relationship to have and to hold securely with God? 

Oh Lord, we pray this is not the case; but we know it can be.

The story of Esther is the story of God’s love for His people. It is His story of victory for His people over their enemies.  God’s servant, Mordecai along with Esther commanded this victory to be celebrated in an annual festival. The whole story was recorded in two official letters, written in a journal, and ultimately included in the Old Testament Scriptures—The Book of Esther! What a great example of remembering what God has done for believers as they recall history and the hand of God in the world. 

For years, I have journaled every day to God who gave me life in Jesus Name.  I’m compelled to tell who He is and what He has done in my life so others will know Him, too. I have petitioned God on behalf of others.  I recall with thanksgiving how problems were solved and healing came.  All this is saved in my computer now over past handwritten pages in many notebooks as a recording of challenges and how God used everything in my life to teach me to be more like Him.  I pray that the words will be helpful someday to future generations as they seek God alone for their salvation and help.  To God be the glory, honor, and praise!  It is with a grateful, humbled heart that I remember and record His victories in my life.

By God’s Holy Spirit leading me, Daily Manna is written each day to tell the world of the love of God who sent His Son to save us and free us to grow in His relentless love by His marvelous mercy and unending grace. Thank you for reading, subscribing, and sharing with others the love God has for everyone!

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Yes and Amen!

As in any good story; the plot expands and rises to a peak. At the peak, we see the injustice of the weak and know the ones who do evil and get away with it!  We have seen each circumstance play out as their manipulative plan to overcome and have it all is succeeding!  With each step of evil’s success, evil gains confidence and strength as evil ones get their own way!  

Readers and/or the audience boo in disgust; but they are mere bystanders.  As portrayed in the old black and white movies, the evil leader stands confidently with smirk on his face as he twirls his big black moustache over each evil deed done. His cronies laugh while stepping over the weak they have beaten down.

Ah, but the story isn’t over!  We know this but our hearts still quicken!  At the peak; the story takes a slow dive and begins to descends into the revelation of truth as the Enemy is exposed.  The story is now providing resolutions of justice to the weak in the story!  In the old movies, it is the good guy in white clothing wearing a white hat while riding a beautiful white horse.  He knows the Truth with power to correct the wrongs and bring justice to the downtrodden. This is the “plot twist” we have been waiting for!  As the story peaks with the enemy winning a sudden shift is made.  We become hopeful as we watch!  Injustices are finally revealed to the King who listens and has the authority and power to right the wrongs. 

Truth is told as the curtains are pulled back to reveal all the dastardly deeds meant to do harm to good people.  We heave a huge sigh of relief as evil gets what we thing they deserve and the good people of the town get to live without constant harassment just because of who they are.

It is not lost on us that the story of Esther proceeds in this way to demonstrate the glory and power of our Almighty God who consistently writes His story of His faithfulness to all who believe. His story of truth always reveals real love, true justice, with unending mercies and relentless grace.  This is who God was, is and always will be.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Esther 8

The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews

That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. ² The king took off his signet ring, which he had   reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.

³ Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

⁵ “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. ⁶ For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”

⁷ King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. ⁸ Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

⁹ At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

¹¹ The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. ¹² The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. ¹³ A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹⁴ The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.

The Triumph of the Jews

¹⁵ When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. ¹⁶ For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. ¹⁷ In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Because we always look for the one on the white horse; God reveals through John this warning of truth in chapter 6. John speaks as he sees:

“I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” Revelation 6:1-2

The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6 is widely interpreted as the Antichrist or a false messiah, symbolizing deceptive conquest and false peace, in contrast to the true Christ in Revelation 19. This figure on the white horse comes with a crown and bow (but no arrows), representing a political or religious leader who initially appears peaceful and victorious, leading many astray before bringing judgment.

Later (chapter 19), the angel of revelation from God spoke to John and told him Who to look for as the real Son of God;

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING of kings and LORD of lords.

Not all white horses are alike—Don’t be misled, scammed, or confused by the “masquerader of Light”—whom Jesus calls the Deceiver, Destroyer, and the Prince of Lies.  Paul warns the church of Corinth who was wildly confused by good and evil;

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, ESV

Satan disguises himself as an “angel of light” to deceive and scam people. False teachers, manipulators of God’s Word to suit their purpose or even “servants of righteousness,” doing good expecting great favors in return only mimic truth to lead followers astray, appearing good or righteous while promoting harmful, false doctrines. 

According to N. T. Wright, theologian; Jesus had Satan in mind when he warned the twelve in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

If you’re merely looking for anyone on a White Horse, don’t! Look first to Jesus instead! —Now and in the end!

All is well when God is leading obedient believers to His glory, no matter the current circumstances on earth!

Bottomline:  Esther asked that her people be allowed to live. King Xerxes granted her request and had Haman hanged. The Jews were rescued.  But it was God who orchestrated all the details through His trusting and obedient people.

The story of Esther reveals the heart of God for His created. As believers, how close are we to having a heart like Esther’s or God’s? Is the burden for condemned, lost, and confused people greater than anything else in our lives?  As always, our behaviors reveal what we truly believe.

Lord,

What a journey you have taken us on with your story of Esther!  There is much to learn and we have only gone a few inches below the surface of Truth!  Teach me Your Word. Cleanse my heart, remove all that is not of You. Renew my mind. Refresh and feed my soul. Restore the joy of your work of salvation within me.  I’m yours. And I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

It is that point in the miniseries you have been streaming when all the lies, arrogant bullying behind the scenes, with evil manipulations of the villain and helpers in the story are seen for who they really are by those who can provide justice.  Your heart quickens as it all comes to this moment when truth prevails.  Some of us might even admit to cheering out loud when evil is finally defeated!  Others in the room might remind us that this is only a movie.  We shush them.

When we began the series, we knew Good would prevail for that makes a good movie! We just didn’t know how justice would be portrayed.  Story writers know that it is our curiosity of the how that holds our attention and causes us to “binge” the stream of dramatic, thrilling happenings.  They know we like the movie even more when writers add unexpected plot twists that send our predictable thoughts in another direction! One thing is for sure; we stayed glued to the ending, dismissing all other noise in the room, as it plays out before our eyes. We want the Evil guys to lose and the Good guys to win.

God knows that about us.  The story of Esther is included in His Word for all kinds of reasons as many theologians have expressed in various comments.  But the bottom line is this—Only God is God. God is Sovereign. Only God is Good. God has all authority over all His creation. God is all-knowing.  God knows our hearts—the good and the evil that lies within.  He knows who seeks good over evil.  God provides help for those whose hearts are committed to Him.  God power exceeds the limited power of Evil. God uses what was meant for evil to conquer evil itself and provide justice for good.  It’s all about God working through the lives of His People with His Plan to save them.  God wins every single time. 

The story of Esther is a story I “binge” with pause for thought because ultimately it is the story of God!

Esther 7

Haman Impaled

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, ² and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

³ Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. ⁴ For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

⁵ King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

⁶ Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. ⁷ The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

⁸ Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!” ¹⁰ So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God used individual people and governments to accomplish His will in His story of Esther. God orchestrates His plan of rescue and uses believers as well as nonbelievers.  Esther believed and was mentored by older cousin, a devote Jew, who “fathered” her as an orphan.  Mordecai believed God and was the “good guy” of good character in the Jewish community.  Esther believed and obeyed for “such a time as this” even if it meant giving her life for God’s people. She allowed God work in and through her.

But Esther is not the heroine of our story, however, God is!

Max Lucado comments;

In our “bootstrap” society, where you tough it up and do it on your own and take pride in being a rugged individualist, the one thing that seems to escape us is being before God on our knees, being before God aware that we are helpless, and allowing him to assist us.

God works best through surrendered hearts who are resolved to say; “If I perish; I perish.” Esther’s pray and fasting before God eliminated her worry over the “how” as He gave her confidence to know within her heart that would God guide and help her accomplish His plan her as she yielded her life to Him.  Esther’s greatest asset and real beauty was her willingness to allow God to accomplish His plan through her.  It is with blessed confidence that we hear her declare the evil of Haman to the king!  All because God made a way for His will to be done at just the right time!  Ah, Revealed Truth is beautiful!

Surrendered hearts come to know that dying to life here is eternal life with God!  We know what happens in the end—or we should know!  God wins!  God always wins!

Even when it looked like Evil had prevailed to Jesus’ family of followers as He was arrested, horribly mocked, slandered, beaten unrecognizably as the Son of Man, then nailed to across to die in public humiliation; justice was on the Way.  Jesus forgave the repentant thief on the cross beside him, then forgave those who did the dark deeds of evil in a prayer, “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” 

As he hung there as the Son of God; Jesus could have said enough and called on ten thousand angels to stop the madness of evil.  But He did not.  His love for us held him firmly in pain.  His mission was not finished yet.  The sins of the world were placed on his sinless shoulders. Upon His death; our sins, the sins of the world, were paid in full. 

His mission to pay our debt in full was finished; but the work of our future Hope was yet to come.  Three days later, God resurrected His Son in such power that it rocked the world and moved the stone placed on Jesus’ tomb.  Jesus walked out that grave, in victory over death for all who would believe!  He walked among his family of followers who were grieving to comfort them and give them a peace the dark world knows nothing about until they believe.  Jesus’ is our hope of resurrection that is secured for all who believe, repent in Jesus Name with complete surrender to God. 

Yes, God wins.  For all who believe in God/Jesus/Holy Spirit; we win.

Esther’s story is not only a personal lesson here but also a lesson about the nation of Israel: Every enemy that has ever tried to destroy Israel has been destroyed. “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” was God’s promise from the beginning of Israel’s journey, (Genesis 12:3), and He has always kept it. God takes His promises seriously, even if the nations of the world ignore them or challenge them.

I’ve read the end of the story more than once! (I am a Bible binger!) Evil does not and will not prevail because God does not fail in His promises! God’s revelation to John reveals His promise kept;

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

Despite our temporary persecution and suffering living in our temporary home; Jesus wins, Satan is defeated, and all things are made new. God wins!

Our perfect God had a perfect plan to save imperfect us through His perfect Son.  Done.

Believe and be saved forever.  

In the meantime; allow God to do His best in and through us for our good and His glory! 

Trust Him. Accept His assistance and help.  God never fails! 

Lord,

Thank you for the story of your work through Esther and Mordecai that stirs our hearts to praise and thank you for all you have done in us who believe and call you Savior and Lord!  Cleanse our hearts of all that is not you. Renew our minds that transforms our behaviors to we can be more like you in all your ways.  Refresh and feed our souls daily with your manna of wisdom. Continue the flow of heavenly joy of you in us and us in you—forever! I surrender to your salvation work in me.  Lead us, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Hate of others for whatever excuse breeds characteristics and behaviors not of God.  The most prevalent and obvious characteristics are ego-driven pride, arrogance, envy, greed with bullying attitudes that demand recognition as being the most important human in the room.  We have worked alongside those who have these traits as their guide for manipulating others to have their own way as they climb the ladder of success—only to find in the end that their ladder was leaning on the wrong wall.

Sometimes we have allowed these characteristics to become a part of us. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) No one is good—Only God is Good.  So, daily we must check our hearts, minds, and souls and allow God’s Holy Spirit to correct us with power.  Repent of these character flaws of using and abusing people to get what we think we want out of life and allow His Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, and refresh and feed our souls with Truth.  God knows what we need most—more of Him!  It is God who changes the hearts of those seek Him with hearts fully committed to Him.

In our next passage, God is on the move to change the heart of the King as God guides him to the truth.  Meanwhile, Haman plots the demise of Mordecai with gleeful hatred. Between the words on the page, we readily see the sovereign hand of God invisibly at work in the life of King Ahasuerus. God is working out His purposes, whether the king knew it or not. Some or all of these worries may have played a part in the king’s wakefulness, but behind them was the sovereign hand of the living and active God who watches over His people and never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4). God wanted the king to stay awake because He had something to tell him.

Does God still do this?  Can God direct us even in such minor matters of our own creations? Yes, He certainly can.  Our God can do anything!  God moves heaven and earth in ways that astound us often.  We need to wake up, recognize and glorify God for who He is and what He does!  God is sovereign!

Sometimes we cry out; “Lord, how long must we put up with this evil!” We must accept the truth that God’s delays are not God’s denials. I know we all can get super impatient and wonder why the wicked are prospering while the righteous are suffering, but God is never in a hurry. He is longsuffering toward the wicked because He wants them to repent, and He is patient with His people because He wants them to receive the right reward at the right time for the right purpose.  It is not God’s desire that anyone perish.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Trust God—He knows what He is doing!

Watch and learn…

Esther 6

Mordecai Honored

That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. ² It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

³ “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

⁴ The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

⁵ His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

⁶ When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” ⁷ So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, ⁸ have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. ⁹ Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”

¹⁰ “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

¹¹ So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

¹² Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, ¹³ and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” ¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

While Esther is setting the scene for the next and final banquet for the King and Haman to attend; God is waking the King with the Truth about Mordecai.  Coincidence?  With God there are no coincidences!   Our God is sovereign (He reigns over all) and knows exactly when, where, what, and how to act on our behalf.  God is setting up Haman the Horrible (my name for him) for a greater fall than Humpty-Dumpty!  Let’s just say it’s going to hurt on his way down from pride, arrogance, and bullying for self-importance. 

Haman, who happened to be lurking in the court area, (God’s plan) was invited by the King into the king’s bedchamber. This new honor only increased Haman’s egotistical pride and false confidence!  “Look how important I am to the King”, he thought, as the king asked for his advice!.  Haman believed fate was on his side as he planned Mordecai’s doom.  And now He has the King’s approval—sealed with the king’s affirmation! Haman’s ego was inflated even more.  People seeking power stay close to those with powerful influence and human authority.  Haman’s ladder of success is leaning against the wrong wall.

Ah, but our all-knowing and all-powerful God is in control.  He has not given up His authority over this situation!

While the King is thinking of Mordecai; Haman is thinking of himself.  So, when the king asked how to honor a good person; Haman asked for the very best: The man to be honored should be dressed in the king’s own apparel; he should ride on the king’s horse with the royal emblem on its head; and one of the noble princes should lead the horse through the city and command the people to honor him. Sounds like a coronation, right?!

Note that King Xerxes called Mordecai “the Jew.” Did the king completely forget that he had permitted Haman to issue an edict to destroy the Jews? How Good and Right God Is!  One day the king is an enemy of the Jews, and a few weeks later he honors one of the leading Jewish citizens. But the king had a debt to pay; Mordecai had saved his life.

How did this pageantry and prominence affect Mordecai? When it was over, he simply returned to his place at the gate and continued to serve the king. Applause doesn’t change truly humble people; their values are far deeper. God can entrust His blessings to the humble, because they seek to honor only the Lord.  At this point in God’s story; Haman’s wife and counselors made an interesting statement: “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him.” God was warning Haman, but the proud leader would not heed the warning. Had he sincerely repented and asked for mercy, he might have saved his own life and the lives of his ten sons (9:12)!  Ah, but we get ahead of the story.

Therefore, how we respond is a matter of life and death for us and for all those around us.  Look to God! Repent in Jesus Name of the hidden things of the heart that does not belong there.  Ask for His will with His wisdom to do His will, His way, in His time by His power working with in us.  God never fails!  Trust Him!

Yes, there is much more to come…stay tuned!

Lord,

Pride does indeed go before a fall every single time.  Pride has no place in your Kingdom being and doing.  May YOUR will be done in all the details of our lives even this day as always.  To you be all glory, honor, and praise!  Anything less is idolatry. 

Awaken us to Truth as we pray, sleep, work, and relate to others.  I’m yours and I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

There will be hard things in life that we do not want to do; but we know it must be done and God is calling us to do it.  I have learned from doing the hard things that arise in work, family, and in ministry service to God’s church; that deep abiding prayer, seeking God’s will, must come first before the doing.  Others think this is procrastination as I tell them, “Let me pray and think about this.”  Some are impatient and want, (sometimes demand) quick answers and solutions to problems.  But when it concerns how the solution will affect others’ lives; we must slow our roll and seek God’s wisdom.

I have also learned through years of serving God’s church as a called servant of Jesus as a vocation; that I worried too much about how the hard things will be accomplished. I got too anxious about how people will react. And I found myself fussing over the strategic details before doing the hard things.  ALL the worry, fretting and fussing was harder that doing the hard thing! 

But, when given time alone to stop, seek, and listen with focus not on the problem but on Almighty, All-Knowing God who has answer; peace washed over me.  The fog of possible solutions and the flood of other voices ceased to hear only One Voice with One solution.  The wisdom was there all the time, ready to be made known as the only solution—God’s answer with His Plan to accomplish it. I just needed to ask with stillness before Him to listen with understanding.

Courage comes as we step forward, for such a time as this, to do what God says, when He says to do it, even if it looks or sounds strange and different to those around us. Truth rises to the top of the all the boastful lies that created the problems while deceit is exposed.  Soon the whole assembly of friends, family, and even bystanders come together with a collective sigh of relief.  “Ahh, now we get it.”

This is how God worked in the life of Esther. This is how God works in my life.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes! God reigns. God is in control. God wins. Trust Him.

Esther 5

Esther’s Request to the King

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

³ Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

⁴ “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

⁵ “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. ⁶ As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

⁷ Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: ⁸ If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

⁹ Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, ¹¹ Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. ¹² “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴ His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Spoiler alert:  The pole meant for Mordecai will be used to barbeque the boastful Haman the Horrible! 

Max Lucado writes;

“Esther gained an audience with King Xerxes but delayed her request. Meanwhile, Haman unwittingly orchestrated his own death.

Esther’s discretion and courage contrasted with Haman’s reckless conceit.

Real courage embraces the twin realities of current difficulty and ultimate triumph. Yes, life stinks. But it won’t forever. As one of my friends likes to say, “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

Though the church is winnowed down like Gideon’s army, though God’s earth is buffeted by climate changes and bloodied by misfortune, though creation itself seems stranded on the Arctic seas, don’t overreact. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7).

Avoid Pollyanna optimism. We gain nothing by glossing over the brutality of human existence. This is a toxic world. But neither do we join the Chicken Little chorus of gloom and doom. “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between blind denial and blatant panic, stands the level-headed, clear-thinking, still-believing follower of Christ. Wide-eyed, yet unafraid. Unterrified by the terrifying. The calmest kid on the block, not for lack of bullies, but for faith in his older Brother. The ancient people of God knew this peace: “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident” (Psalm 27:3).

Sometimes it takes nothing but raw courage to do the right thing—to stand up for the truth, to care about the downtrodden, to speak out when others are silent. Let Esther be an example to you that when you have God and courage, you need nothing more.”   

–Max Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

God’s courage is given to us to encourage us as we do the hard things He asks us to do for our good and His glory!  Can I get an Amen?!

One last thought—

What Esther did ranks among the great deeds of faith in Scripture and could have been recorded in Hebrews 11 in the “Hall of Faith”. The Jews needed to pray and have faith that God would work, but somebody had to act, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). 

Esther is still revered as one who believed, fasted and prayed, and listened to God.  God’s courage enveloped her as she stepped forward when the king summoned her. (Read that again. Let is sink into your souls.)

Lord,

When you call me to do the next hard thing, lead me with courage as I put all my trust and faith in you. I know you will.  You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again until I see you face to face.  To you be the glory! 

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Between a rock and a hard place” means being in a very difficult, stressful, or impossible situation where you must choose between two equally unpleasant, undesirable, or risky options. It describes a dilemma with no easy solution, often referred to as “the lesser of two evils”. 

As humans living in an imperfect world, we all will face and experience challenging circumstances that require us to decide and respond. We can choose our response or it will be chosen for us.  We can gather information from reliable sources beforehand responding, we can form a strategy for how to respond with the least resistance, we could ask others we trust for their advice, or can be silent and not respond at all.  All of these are forms of decision making.  But, sometimes, we might be stuck “between a rock and hard place” as the saying goes when whatever we decide will not be good for all concerned.  Someone will get hurt or suffer.  National, state, and local leaders face decisions such as these often.  Pastors and church staffs also find themselves in situations that no matter what you decide, someone will not be happy.

The best advice in decision making of matters of life and death is demonstrated for  us by God through His beloved Queen Esther.  God arranged for “such a time as this” when He made her Queen who found favor with the King of Persia.  When Esther heard the news of Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews of the land because he was angry at her cousin, Mordecai for not bowing down to him; she sought the Lord first!  She also offered herself to the Lord as she fasted and prayed, seeking His will. Esther’s obedience to whatever God said as she laid her life on the line for God’s people was demonstrated with her resolution, “If I perish, I perish.” 

Does this attitude of submission to God sound familiar?  Jesus sought God before his final resolute decision to suffer and die for our sins on a cruel cross. He knew.  But He loved us enough to complete the mission.  As God’s obedient Savior, Jesus readied Himself to sacrifice His life for our sins; we remember Jesus final decisive words in His prayer to His Father the night before He was arrested—He who knew no sin.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

The parallel is not lost on us.  Let’s read on…

Esther 4

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. ² But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. ³ In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

⁶ So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

⁹ Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Before Hitler was Haman who hated the Jews with a cultural, generational passion.  Mordecai has become his mortal enemy because of not only being a Jew; but a Jew who refused to bow down to him.  Haman’s plot to kill all Jews of all ages is not only driven by hate but by his ego to gain recognition as being the most powerful man on the planet, second only to the King.  He also seeks to be king, I’m sure, as part of his overall strategy.

Mordecai takes a stand against the enemy.  As a result Haman decides to not only rid the world of Mordecai but to kill all Jews.  Mordecai’s appearance and actions were those of a person showing great grief or deep repentance according to the Jewish culture.

Mordecai was neither afraid nor ashamed to let people know where he stood. He had already told the officers at the gate that he was a Jew; now he was telling the whole city not only that he was a Jew but also that he opposed the murderous edict manipulated by Haman, getting the approval of the king.  The King does not have all the information he needed, however, when he made that decision!

Mordecai’s wailing was not only a cultural response; it got the attention of Queen Esther attendants.  Mordecai had previously gotten messages to Esther through her “ladies in waiting.”  Esther is told of his weeping and wailing and inquires.  God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary acts of His will. 

“So often in the work of the Lord, He uses obscure people to accomplish important tasks. What was the name of the young boy who gave Jesus his loaves and fishes? Who were the men who rescued Paul by lowering him over that Damascus wall in a basket? What was the name of the little servant girl who told Naaman to go see the prophet? We don’t know, but God used these people to accomplish His purposes. Here the eunuch Hathach is named, but we know nothing else about him.”—Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Hathach certainly had a great responsibility placed on him as the living link between two distressed people who held in their hands the salvation of the Jewish nation!

This was a matter of life and death both for Esther and for her people; but our Sovereign God uses the crisis that Haman created to bring a spiritual revival to His people scattered among the Gentiles in Persia! Often God’s people must experience trouble before they will humble themselves and cry out to God.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes, haven’t you? Our God is always with us.  He never gives up His authority over all He has created.

From the human point of view, everything was against Esther and the success of her mission;

• No one could go to the King unless they were summoned. That included Queen Esther and she knew the Persian law.
• The new law said all Jews must be slain and she is a Jew.
• Her gender was against her, because the king’s attitude toward women was worse than chauvinistic. Remember what happened to the last queen?
• The officers of the court, ordered and commission by Haman were against her.
• The three days of fasting probably weakened her and made her “less beautiful” to the king’s standards.

But Queen Esther was resolved after seeking God to do what God said to save His people.  “If I perish, I perish.” 

Stay tuned as the plot thickens…

But remember this truth for today:  God is still in control.  God was, is, and always will be in control—even if we don’t’ see or feel it—God is always at work! 

“And if God is for us; who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Lord,

Decision-making, of which there are dozens each day, is not easy for humans. It is even harder when we do not first ask for your wisdom, strength and help.  Thank you, again for this lesson to seek you before doing anything of significance.  Lead us, Lord in all we think, say, and do.  We need you every hour of every day.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In times of greatest horror and unbelievable torture of groups of people who simply look, believe, and behave differently because of their love and loyalty to God is when the Prince of Darkness is seen for who he really is—death, masquerading as light. Satan is God’s Number One Enemy of all He has created in His image.

Throughout the history of humanity; Satan, the fallen angel, kicked out of heaven because he wanted to be God, still seethes with anger and hate. His hate breeds all the characteristics that are not God such as ego-driven pride, envy, arrogance, and greed. Since Adam and Eve fell; we all have fallen at one time or other to behaving in ways that are characteristic of Satan and his demons who hate God and all related to God. The Enemy still strives to be a god even though God will not allow it.  We are caught in the crossfire; but not without God’s intervention of protection when we call on His Name.

Satan has no bounds of holding back when it comes to the war with God. Satan, driven by his own selfish desires, even tempted the Son of God, Jesus Christ, for 40 days and night as Jesus fasted and prayed alone in the desert. God’s enemy thinks that by preying on the weaknesses of God’s people long enough and hard enough he will win and sometimes it works on humans who are hopeless because they have walked away from God for a time.  But God, from beginning to end, has always had all supreme power over His Enemy. God wins. Read the final chapter.

God was at the beginning, is now, and always will be God. This is Truth whether we believe or not.  God is God!  There is nothing that happens on earth that escapes the notice of God. God is sovereign.  He reigns! God knows before things happen what will happen. God is always at work behind the scenes with a prepared and arranged plan with purpose to defeat evil’s efforts and turn all that was meant for evil to good—by the Goodness of God. We can count on His promises to always be with us, helping us!

Remember and take to heart—Satan’s plots of calculated distractions, deceptions, and manipulations have limited power!  His purpose of destructing the faith of God’s people and capture their souls as his to live in the burning fires of hell forever are thwarted daily by God has all authority over all He has created and all who believe in Him. God wins. Because God wins, we who believe Him win! Those whose hearts, minds, and souls are committed to Him, in Jesus’ Name wins.  Forever!

The Plot against God’s people thickens!  Everything about Haman is hateful; you can’t find one thing about this man worth praising. In fact, everything Haman was, God hated.  However, Haman is not the real enemy here; it is Satan working through him. Hold that thought.

Esther 3

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. ² All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

³ Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” ⁴ Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. ⁶ Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

⁷ In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. ⁹ If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”

¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

¹² Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. ¹³ Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. ¹⁴ A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

¹⁵ The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Haman was not content with merely having a high office and using it, Haman wanted all the public recognition and honor that he could secure. Although the ancient people of the Near East were accustomed to giving public displays of homage, the king had to issue a special edict concerning Haman, or the people would not have bowed down to him. Sounds like the story of the fallen angel who wanted to be honored over and in place of God, doesn’t it? 

God works through imperfect people for His purposes to save them.  Mordecai may have had shortcomings in his religious practices, but we must admire him for his courageous stand. It is evident that God had put Mordecai and Esther into their official positions so that they might save their people from annihilation. Their neglect of the Jewish law is incidental when we consider their courage in risking their lives because of their relationship with God.

Haman’s hatred for Mordecai, because he would not bow down to him, soon developed into hatred for the whole Jewish race. Haman could have reported Mordecai’s crime to the king, and the king would have imprisoned Mordecai or perhaps even had him executed, but that would not have satisfied Haman’s lust for revenge. No, his hatred had to be nourished by something bigger, like the destruction of a whole ethnic group.  The devil is at work, instilling his character full force into Haman.  With the enemy, hatred doesn’t have to make sense.

Satan lost as Jesus rose for the grave in victory over death.  How his anger burned as Jesus appeared, scars and all, before his followers to prove God’s victory over him!  God’s done it before, throughout history, and He’ll do it again.  In my small world; He is doing it now with all His power and authority. Our God reigns!

Evil plots of arranged and driven by the Prince of this dark world may take our physical bodies; but it is not possible to take our souls dedicated to God.  We will live on in eternity with God with a new body!  How do I know? The Bible tells me so!

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”—Jesus, Matthew 10:26-33

This passage alone emphasizes that earthly persecution cannot sever a believer’s connection to God or destroy their eternal life. 

Warren Wiersbe writes;

“God has divine purposes to accomplish in this world. God’s purposes involve the Jewish nation as well as the Gentile nations of the world. They also involve the church. Within those groups, God especially accomplishes His purposes through individuals. His purposes touch the lives of kings and queens and common people, godly people and wicked people. Nothing in this world is outside the influence of the purposes of God.” –Wierbe Study Bible

Thank you, Lord

Lord,

Thank you for teaching us Truth with your confidence with blessed assurance flowing through us.  Thank you for saving us and providing eternal for us through your sacrifice.  Words are not enough to thank you for all you continue to do in and through us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I confess.  I grew up on a residential block in the suburbs with mostly boys.  There was one girl but she left for the summers to live with her grandparents. I rarely saw her. So, I naturally learned and enjoyed the games of the boys. Even the habit of combing my hair seemed like time wasted from playing baseball for hours on end. I had my own ball glove and was determined to be the best; not just hold my own on our makeshift field of play.  On a break from sports, we rode bikes with playing cards clothes pinned to the spokes to sound like motorcycles.  We built forts and defended them with play pistols holstered to our shorts. Some of us had Roy Roger rifles. Our bikes then became “horses” complete with ropes tied to the handle bars for reins.  Yes, this took effort but we steered with ropes!

Barefoot mostly, dressed in shorts and t-shirts with stains from yesterday’s lunch, we would come home at dusk, dirty and sweaty for supper.  We then were forced to take a bath to rinse off the day’s play although some of it stained the souls of our feet from running on blacktopped streets that melted slightly from the Oklahoma summer heat of the sun.  Yes, you had to be quick with your steps to walk on the molten lava of our streets!

As I transitioned from elementary school to junior high, changes in my boyish tendencies of lack of care concerning how I looked, transitioned as I saw other girls from other schools come together for the junior high experience. To me, they were obsessed with brushing their hair and carried multiply cans of hairspray!  My mom, a woman of faith, led me to the importance of being a young lady of good character which to her also included taking care of my outward appearance a bit more. As an “Avon Lady,” she introduced me to makeup of which I revolted against. “Just try a little lip gloss, at least,” I remember her saying often to my “natural woman” ways in that season of my life.  I’m laughing now at the memories of my previous childhood. And, I still favor lip gloss only!

So, the story of Esther, a beautiful woman of faith, being forced into a harem for the King to be made “beautiful” by his standards by ordering a FULL YEAR of beauty treatments is downright appalling to me! But that was the evil culture and customs of the Persians. (Is this so different from today’s standards for women?) Esther, with wise Mordecai’s leading and protection, was encouraged to do what she was told for the good of God’s people. However, Mordecai’s concern for Esther is evident as we find him pacing daily in front of the castle for word of her!

In today’s passage we see the hand of God begin His orchestration to save His people from massacre by putting Esther in a position of influence to the Persian king.  In fact, evil doers who want to assassinate the king will be stopped by Mordecai as a first step to get closer to the king. Mordechai daily “kept his ear to the ground,” so to speak, for word of her safety and situation.  Because of this; he hears of the evil plot against the king. Upon hearing, he tells his beloved Esther to tell the king immediately!  This is Mordechai’s “such a times as this” moment for him!  Our God is an awesome God! There is no one like our God!

Read on as “the plot” thickens!

Esther 2

Esther Made Queen

Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. ² Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. ³ Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

⁵ Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, ⁶ who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin king of Judah. ⁷ Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor. Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food. He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. ¹¹ Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

¹² Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. ¹³ And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. ¹⁶ She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷ Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

¹⁹ When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. ²⁰ But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.

²¹ During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. ²² But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. ²³ And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is at work in Mordecai and his adopted daughter Esther.  It is Mordecai who knows God is at work in Esther, raising her to a royal position for God’s purpose and plan to save His people.

Does God work through us like He did through Mordecai and Esther?  Absolutely! There is no one like our God who is sovereign over all people, circumstances, and situations that seem to us as spontaneous or even ridiculous at the time. God uses all we face in this world for His purpose to teach us and mature our faith in Him—a beautiful work of art with His heart!  God is in all the details when we look closely. God is over all who want to distract us and pull us away from Him. God is God and He never changes in His love for us.  God loves all He has created. God has a plan for each one of us, not to harm us, but to give us hope and a beautiful future with Him.  Embrace the beauty of the truth of God!

How about we look at our surroundings and your current situation right now from God’s perspective and view? How could God use us? Perhaps God has placed us in our jobs, schools, or families, for such a time as this, to reach someone for Jesus. Let us pray to be bold with the confidence of Christ in us who demonstrated by His example the compassion of God to the world as He relentlessly loved, spectacularly healed, and forever forgave as he led lost and broken people to God. Christ in us—that’s the secret, writes Paul to the church of hope and His beautiful glory seen in us! Colossians 1:27. So, we share what God has done in us for truth is beautiful and stands out from the ugly lies of the world around us.  There is a stark difference when God is in it—and in us!

Encourage others to look to Jesus as we look to Him, our beautiful Savior and Lord!  I am recalling a chorus of my youth;

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All his wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”

THIS is the Ultimate Beauty Secret!  Real beauty is a work of our Savior and Lord who lives in us, refining, molding, and shaping us to be all God created us to be—for such a time as this!  All for our good and His glory!  Beautiful!

Lord,

Thank you for teaching us that all of us have purpose. None of our previous experiences are not wasted on teaching us truth.  Truth is beautiful.  Those who live truth are beautiful.  I’ve seen with my own eyes in my family who believes in you and in all the mentors you sent to me in my lifetime.  Lead me, Lord as you refine my nature, until you are seen in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen